BlizzCon 2019 is just around the corner and just like all of you, we’re fairly excited at the speculation and theories as to what Blizzard are planning to announce. This hasn’t been easy — Blizzard is a company that’s notorious for keeping things tightly under wraps, so we rely on leaks and rumours that emerge in the lead-up to the event itself.
Luckily for us (and you) there have been a few slip-ups and breadcrumbs for us to calculate some safe bets as to what Blizzard plans to wow (not a pun) us with this year.
So sit back, relax, and read on to see what we expect to see at BlizzCon 2019!
Overwatch 2
Let’s start with what is possibly the worst kept secret from Blizzard. Rumours on the internet have been circulating for quite some time that Blizzard was working on some sort of sequel or expansion for their smash hit competitive shooter Overwatch.
Normally these rumours can be passed off as nothing more than fan theories that got a life of their own, but the source of these leaks (Twitch Streamer Metro) has proven to be a reliable source for all things Overwatch in the past, accurately predicting the announcement of Ashe for last year’s BlizzCon.
But what would this sequel actually look like? Well, if information is accurate, Overwatch 2 will be PvE-focused gameplay with a progressive levelling system. This could possibly look like a treadmill looter-shooter in the vein of Destiny, Anthem, Borderlands, etc.
Although PvP was mentioned, it remains unclear if this game will be a replacement for the original Overwatch or if they plan to run both in parallel to one another, with the original to focus purely on the competitive aspect and Overwatch 2 to work with the more casual audience looking for a less esport-focused title.
Our outside guess here is that this is Blizzard muscling in on Destiny 2’s audience, becoming a pseudo-MMO, focusing on the lore and Overwatch world itself. Expect to see Blizzard flesh these details out during their announcement.
Diablo Phwoar
No, not another mobile game announcement, a direct sequel to Diablo 3. It’s not a secret that the developers have been hard at work on the next instalment in the Diablo universe and in typical Blizzard fashion, the company has been tight-lipped on any of the actual details. Rumour was that 2018 was meant to have an announcement, but it was pulled at the last minute and replaced with Diablo: Immortal… and we all know how that went.
With the disappointment of no Diablo 4 still setting in, the announcement of a mobile game in lieu of a new PC title went down like a lead balloon. The internet backlash was swift and hard and it makes sense that Blizzard are looking to make amends to their audience by officially announcing that Diablo 4 is in the works.
Information has been scarce, but small hints have surfaced. A German publication has supposedly leaked Diablo 4 artwork as well as financial investors suggesting the a new Diablo will be announced and have a release date slated for 2021. To cap things off, our famous leaker of all things Blizzard, Metro, also tweeted that Diablo 4 alongside a Diablo 2 remaster is going to be at BlizzCon 2019. Although no one knows for sure, we’ll be keeping an eye out for both these titles.
Warcraft 3: Reforged – Release Date
Warcraft fans were surprised last year when Blizzard announced a complete remaster of their hit title Warcraft 3. Not only did this boast updated models, UI and a graphical resolution up to 4K, the game itself would work with all the classic custom maps that we’ve all come to love and adore over the years. This means you’ll be able to replay Elemental Tower Defence, Wintermaul, Tower Wars, and a semi-popular game you’ve maybe heard of before… DOTA: Allstars.
Since then we’ve had everything from playable demos are conventions and interviews with the people behind it, but no actual release date. The game is still slated for a 2019 release date and we’re not only expecting an actual release date, but a surprise announcement that it will release during this very event! Maybe we’re being a bit optimistic here but there’s not exactly a lot of days left in the year, so what this space.
World of Warcraft – New expansion
Defying the odds, World of Warcraft remains the last bastion of paid subscription MMOs in the world, with a playerbase that remains very healthy to this day. Our logic here is both sound and a little boring — every two years WoW has received an expansion, and the last one was in August 2018 (Battle for Azeroth). To us, it’s a no brainer. If we were to quote a viral video of yesteryear… “Bout that time aye chaps?”
Blizzard Auto-Chess
With the recent explosion in “Auto Chess-likes” – Dota Underlords, Teamfight Tactics, and Chess Rush – this is fast becoming a crowded genre, with everyone rushing to make their own version. But it’s still early days, and while Teamfight Tactics has been pulling ahead in concurrent player counts, this is far from conquered territory.
Enter Blizzard – we hope – which has all the necessary elements to make a game like this work. With a healthy roster of characters spanning sci-fi and fantasy, there’s a lot of potential to not only tick the boxes of an auto battler, but heavily innovate on the formula. Our wish list is for the minds behind Heroes of the Storm to be in charge of this one, and bring the same wacky ideas. While Dota Underlords has introduced new ideas into the space, the others have largely followed the formula to the letter.
While we’ve heard rumblings this announcement could actually happen, we wouldn’t bet on it if we were gamblin’ folks. You just never know with Blizz — even if a prototype was in development, it wouldn’t be the first time such a thing was canned at a late stage for not meeting Blizzard’s quality standards.
Obviously, none of these predictions are set in stone but if we could even get half of these things, it would be an incredible event, one that we’ll remember for many days to come!
